World’s Tallest Sandcastle

Sculptors Vie for Guinness World Record

Read how sculptors reach new heights in sand

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the tallest sandcastle came in at 41 ft 3.67 inches tall. It was unveiled November 11, 2014 in Brazil. Sponsored by Caterpillar Inc, this castle designed by American artist Rusty Croft used 20 truckloads of sand.

Compare that to the first official record holder in 1993. That sandcastle came in a 21 ft 6 inches. Quite impressive back then, but child’s play today.

Or maybe we should say the Caterpillar castle “was” the tallest. As you saw in the video above, the sandcastle was demolished shortly after the height was verified by Guinness.

Despite Caterpillar’s win, there are a couple sculptors who have won the title several times. These talented artists are vying to reclaim their title.

Ed Jarrett, from the USA, has broken the record 4 times, with sandcastles that were completely built by hand. His attempt in 2015 was his first using power equipment. The rules were changed last year, clearing the way for the big equipment and Caterpillar’s win.

Still, Caterpillar holds the record, but now Ted Siebert is attempting to win the record for the 8th time.

This impressive sculpture is scheduled to be completed by Friday after using more than 1800 TONS of sand.

The sand castle was commissioned by Turkish Airlines to mark the airline’s inaugural service from Miami to its hub in Istanbul. The sandcastle features several of Istanbul’s landmarks as well as famous buildings from places that Turkish Airlines already flies to, including New York’s Statue of Liberty and Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa.

However the sand isn’t from the beach but a quarry, and features a mix of clay and silt. This means when water is added, the castle will be stronger than normal sand castles. However, it will still be attacked by the wind and rain and will eventually break down.

Siebert’s current work can be viewed at Virginia Key Beach in Florida. That is, while the weather and gravity allow.